This Blood Orange Syrup is a simple way to capture the delicious, sweet-tart flavor of your favorite citrus in a wide variety of beverages. With its bold color and bright taste, it’s a perfect addition to cocktails, mocktails and even desserts.
DISCLAIMER
*This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Feast + West may receive commissions for purchases made through those links — at no cost to you. All opinions are our own. Please read our full disclosure for more information.
About this Blood Orange Syrup recipe
Blood orange season is one of the best. It’s always a fun surprise to discover these rutilant beauties at the grocery store.
This syrup highlights everything that makes blood oranges special — deep, ruby-red color, floral aroma and a lovely balance of sweetness and tang.
It’s simple to make and adds a stunning color and refreshing citrus flavor to cocktails, mocktails, sparkling water or food items like pancakes, sorbet or yogurt. If you love homemade syrups, this is a seasonal must-have.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Simple ingredients: You only need fresh blood oranges, sugar and water to make this impressive simple syrup.
- Quick to prepare: Comes together in about 15 minutes with minimal effort.
- Vibrant color: The deep red hue makes any drink or dessert look stunning.
- Versatile uses: Perfect for cocktails, mocktails, tea or even for drizzling over desserts.
Tools & equipment
You’ll need a few basic kitchen tools to make this syrup. A vegetable peeler *, microplane or zester will help you remove the outer peel without including the bitter white pith, and a citrus juicer * makes quick work of extracting the juice.
Grab a small saucepan for heating the ingredients together and a fine-mesh sieve * to strain out the zest. Once it’s done, store your syrup in a heatproof jar or bottle in the refrigerator.
favorite syrup storage
These syrup bottles and jars make fridge storage easy and gifting even easier.
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → *
Ingredients
You’ll only need three ingredients for this colorful syrup. Start with fresh blood oranges — unless you are able to find them already juiced, you’ll have to do it yourself. Their deep red juice gives the syrup its gorgeous color and sweet-tart flavor. You’ll use both the zest and juice to capture all of the flavor from the fruit.
Granulated sugar adds sweetness, balances tartness and helps the syrup thicken. A splash of water ensures the sugar dissolves evenly while everything simmers.
juice boost
Want to get the most juice out of your citrus? Let it sit at room temperature for a few hours before juicing. Cold fruit holds onto its juice, while warmer fruit releases it more easily, giving you better results with less effort.
Instructions
Making a homemade blood orange simple syrup is quick and, well, easy. Let’s get started!
- In a small saucepan, combine blood orange juice, blood orange zest, sugar and water.
- Heat over medium, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Remove from heat and let steep until the syrup cools.
- Strain into a clean jar. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Tips & tricks
- Let the syrup cool completely. Allowing the syrup to cool before bottling avoids condensation that can water it down.
- Pick the best fruit. Choose blood oranges that are aromatic and heavy for their size. A dense orange indicates plenty of juice inside.
- Strain thoroughly. Ensure you remove the zest completely in order to keep the syrup consistency smooth.
Uses for Blood Orange Syrup
This syrup adds a burst of citrus flavor and a pop of color to all kinds of recipes. Try it with:
- Cocktails: Mix it into whiskey sours or daiquiris for the most beautiful, bold result. (Or use leftover juice to make the most amazing blood orange margarita!)
- Mocktails: Stir into sparkling water, lemonade or iced tea for a refreshing, non-alcoholic option. You could use it in place of grenadine for a delightful Shirley Temple, too.
- Desserts: Drizzle over ice cream, pancakes or yogurt for a sweet and tangy treat.
FAQ
Stored in the refrigerator, this recipe keeps for about 2 weeks.
Yes. Pour into ice cube trays to freeze and thaw small portions as needed.
Yes. Navel or Cara Cara oranges will work, but the syrup will be lighter in flavor and color. You could also use a mixture!
More syrup recipes
If you love this recipe, try our other cocktail syrups:
Leave a comment or tap the ★★★★★ below to leave a rating — it helps others and supports our work. We love hearing how it turned out!
Blood Orange Syrup
ingredients
- 2 blood oranges juiced (about ½ cup juice)
- 2 tablespoons blood orange zest from 1 blood orange
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine blood orange juice, blood orange zest, sugar and water.
- Heat over medium, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Remove from heat and let steep until the syrup cools.
- Strain into a clean jar. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
recommended products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Leave a Reply